500 protest at Grangemouth oil refinery

20 October 2013

Over five hundred people demonstrated in pouring rain outside Ineos headquarters at Gate 4 of the Grangemouth oil refinery on Sunday.

Unite the Union members in Ineos were joined by their families, a large contingent of Unite tanker drivers, and supporters from a wide array of other unions, trades councils and campaigns.

Unite union officials and other speakers from EIS and STUC as well as local politicians called on Billionaire Ineos boss Jim Ratcliffe to stop bullying and threatening 1,400 workers’ pay, pensions and union rights. Ineos was also repeatedly accused of holding Grangemouth hostage to blackmail the Scottish and British governments into lending them £150million to upgrade and expand the plant.

Ineos bosses have given workers a deadline of 6pm on Monday (21 October) to sign away their final salary pensions and many of their union rights. Workers spoke of the need for collective action to stop the bosses attacks and protect the future of the union and the Grangemouth facility.

In conversations, many workers called on SNP leader Alex Salmond to act decisively to protect workers at Scotland’s only oil refinery.